Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is being prevented from taking a walk in the Adiala jail where is he currently lodged in a “C-class” facility not befitting his stature as former leader, the ex-PM’s lawyer Naeem Haidar Panjutha said in a video statement on social media on Sunday.
“Being allowed to take a walk is his right under the law and stipulated in the prison manual,” stated Panjutha.
The legal aide to Khan, who heads Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), also expressed concern over the quality of food being served to the ex-Prime Minister.
“We want the court to take cognizance of our appeal on the quality of food being served to him in jail. We know how slow food poisoning works,” cautioned Panjutha.
Want Court to Adjudicate on All Cases Against Imran Khan: Lawyer
Panjutha urged the Islamabad High Court and the Supreme Court to adjudicate on all cases against Khan at the earliest date.
“We want an urgent hearing in all the case involving Khan,” Panjutha demanded.
He highlighted that the sentence in the ‘toshakhana’ case had already been suspended, while a bail hearing in the ‘cypher case’ was scheduled to take place next week.
Khan was arrested from his Lahore residence on 5 August, after a trial court held him guilty of not revealing the exact value of gifts he had received from foreign dignitaries during his time in power, or the ‘toshakhana’ case.
The court sentenced him to three years in prison. But the sentence was suspended by the Islamabad High Court on 29 August.
However, the next day, it was revealed by his lawyer that Khan had been “re-arrested” in the cypher case while still in prison.
The case relates to handling of diplomatic cables documenting conversations between Pakistan’s former envoy to Washington Majeed Khan and US Assistant Secretary Donald Lu.
The ex-leader has claimed that the then Pakistani military establishment colluded with the Biden administration officials to instigate the no-confidence motion that led to his ouster, days after Khan paid a visit to Moscow where he met President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in February 2022.
‘No More Cases Against Khan’
“We also want him to be shielded from any further cases,” the legal aide urged.
By his own admission, Khan faces over 100 cases since being ousted from power in a parliamentary no-confidence motion last April.
The former PM has said that all the cases against him are “politically-motivated”, brought against him to prevent him from contesting the re-election.
In view of his conviction, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has barred Khan from contesting the election for five years.
The ECP announced last month that the federal election would take place in the last week of January, almost three months after the polls were originally scheduled to be held.
Khan’s lawyer also demanded on Sunday that the federal election should be held “within 90 days”.